I recently bought a used '01 S40 from an independent car seller (not dealership). I had it checked out by my mechanic and everything is fine. However the Check Engine light has come on and two different shops have said nothing is wrong with the car, it simply need to be reprogrammed so the light does not continue to come on for no reason. They also said only an authorized Volvo dealership can do this.

I took it to the dealership and they said they can reprogram it, however it needs extensive software upgrades as well. Though the dealership also said that if there are "any non-Volvo parts" in the car, it could make the car inoperable aka it won't run!

Is there any truth to the dealer's claim? Why can't I just get the car reprogrammed and opt not to do the software updates? Will the car computer say it need updates once its been reprogrammed? Will the car really not run if there are non-Volvo parts in it? How much could this potentially cost? It's $100 to reprogram and $25 for EACH update. I feel like the dealer is taking advantage of me and not telling me the truth.

 

First of all what is the code keep coming back?When the light comes on its always for a reason so it has to be fixed.The dealer might be trying to prepare you with this story for some necessary replacement parts they have to sell you in order to ensure your car will not be rendered inoperable.Like if you have an aftermarket O2 sensor they would say they had to replace them both at $250 each.
Just let us know what the codes are and I'm sure it can be fixed without the stealer.

 

So a bit more background material. After the check engine light came on I took it to my personal mechanic and he said an O2 sensor needed to be replaced. He replaced it but I drove the car home from the shop and a mile down the road the CEL came on again! Took it back to my mechanic and he said the car is in tip-top shape and the computer just needs to be reprogrammed by a Volvo dealership for the CEL to go off.

Ok so here are the codes that are appearing when the dealer looked at the car's computer. The ones that relate to the CEL are:
*ECM-25 Long term fuel trim - lean
*ECM-28 Front heated oxygen sensor integrator - faulty signal
*ECM-A1 Engine coolant temperature sensor - faulty signal

As I said, we replaced the O2 sensor so why is it still popping up in the codes? The 'fuel trim lean' probably appeared because of the faulty O2 sensor.

Other codes that came up as well, but may not be related to CEL:
*CCM-0012 Damper motor temperature Blocked - DTC is found ACTIVE
*CCM-0013 Damper motor air distribution Blocked - DTC is found ACTIVE
*CCM-0053 Seat heater right Faulty signal - DTC is found ACTIVE
*CCM-0081 Damper motor temperature signal missing - DTC is found NOT ACTIVE
*CCM-0089 Defroster switch rear active too long - DTC is found NOT ACTIVE
*DSA-212 Brake light switch faulty signal - DTC is found NOT ACTIVE
*DIM No fault found
*VGLA No fault found
*SRS No fault found
*IMM No fault found
*TCM No fault found
*CEM No fault found
*ABS No fault found

 

Any ideas?

 

Any updates?

 

Got the software updates and now it runs like a dream.

 

Did the dealer tell you what kind of update they did? Just an ECM update, or a total system update, or?

 

Total system update if I do remember correctly.

 

Ok, it probably was just for the ECM, I actually found something in VIDA that's called a reprogrammer for the S/V40 cars and it will say if the ECU needs updating or not. It was weird because these cars don't do software updates like most of the other 99+ Volvos do.

Thanks for the reply!